Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul (Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa defeated Freiburg 3-0 to win the Europa League final after two outstanding first-half goals sent the Royals into a frenzy. Villa’s success means they have ended their 30-year wait for a major trophy. After a tense first 40 minutes, Youri Tielemans broke Istanbul’s deadlock with a superb volley, and Emiliano Buendia converted a superb effort two minutes into stoppage time. Replays showed Prince William celebrating enthusiastically in the stands at Besiktas Stadium.
Morgan Rogers put the Villains up 3-0 in the 58th minute when he slotted Buendia’s cross into the six-yard box. The match ended and the long-awaited silver medal was secured for the Premier League club. This means Villa have won their first trophy since the League Cup in 1996. Villa had not won a trophy in Europe since their famous 1982 European Cup victory over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam, the year the Prince of Wales was born.
Tielemans told TNT Sports after the game: “It’s a great feeling. I lost my voice, but it’s worth it. We put in a shift and gave a great performance. It’s been a great season and it’s great to end it. It’s been a season of ups and downs. We started very poorly and our standards were very low.”
“It’s a credit to the players and the staff that we were able to turn things around. We believed and kept working. We won in the end and secured the Champions League and the trophy for next season.”
Rodgers, who scored his third goal of the night, added: “It’s hard to put into words, but we worked hard for this. We got the result and we did it. It’s a great moment for the fans and for the club. It will go down in history. We’re all really excited.”
“The manager said I would get into the box and score easier goals, so I’m glad I was able to do that.”
Villa striker Ollie Watkins said: “It was an unbelievable performance. We controlled the game and punished them. I’ve watched many finals and set-pieces can be so important. It was very shaky up until the goal, but we had an unbelievable set-piece, fair play and Austin McPhee contributed.”
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Aston Villa win first major trophy in 30 years (Image: Getty)
Unai Emery is a manager who has won the Europa League five times. (Image: Getty)
“This is what you dream of. Unai was really calm in the build-up, but in the league he can be a little anxious at times. That set the tone.”
Unai Emery has now won the Europa League five times, having already won three with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
Villa become the 11th club from England to win Europe’s second division competition. The victory also ensures that the Midlands club, who currently sit fourth in the league, return to the Champions League next season.
And as an added bonus for the Premier League, if Villa finish fifth in the table, the team that finishes sixth will also qualify. At the moment it would be Bournemouth. But the Cherries still need Emery’s side to lose against Manchester City on Sunday, and Liverpool also need to win against Brentford at Anfield.
Prince William delighted with Aston Villa’s win (Image: Getty)
Prince William celebrates Aston Villa goal in the stands (Image: Getty)
Why does Prince William support Aston Villa?
Prince William started supporting Villa when he was a student, and explained in 2015: “I fell in love with football at school a long time ago. I was looking for a club. All my friends at school were Man United fans or Chelsea fans, and I didn’t want to join a typical team.”
“I wanted to have a mid-table team that would give me more emotional roller coaster moments. Aston Villa have always had a great history. I have friends who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa in 2000.
“Unfortunately Villa lost to Chelsea[in the final]. It was amazing. I had a great time wearing my red beanie and sitting with all the fans, all the Brummie fans. I really felt there was something I could connect with with that atmosphere, that camaraderie.”
He wrote on X after Villa’s win: “What a great night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, the team, the staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since we last tasted European silverware! A special shout out to Boubakar Camara, who has been an integral part of our team despite being out injured and who has helped lay the foundations for this success. UTV! VTID W”.
